Your way or highway (talking about tire preference) ?

[TON-III]

In most cases we're installing most big alloys with wide tires to our cars while I've been in opposite and trying to find so called best solution to my car what comes to suspension, weight and friction in total.

When I bought mine 6er 15 months and 15 000 km. ago it was equipped with quite heavy and HARD combination ( even the tire wasn't RF it was HARD) and I did not like my car but I did know that it would change a lot with alloy/tire update. That original (winter) set was 245/45/18 and 26 kg. / corner, I narrowed a hint ( now 225/50/18), lowered the load class with few steps and also the 5 kg. of the combination weight and YESSS !!!! Car is now flying like a flying carpet !!!!

I think the most critical issue is the 'suspension' of the tire and quite many of us knows the opposite situation after having ridden with those RF tires.

What is your opinion ? Even so many are having those more big versions they might like mine if the set of mine could be test driven in their own car.

[doggboy]

I would not go with narrower tires on a car of this wieght, that is just dangerous. Get some forged wheels to lower unsprung weight, and run at least factory width tires.

I run the forgered M5 wheels with 255/35/20 and 295/30/20 and my 650 rides great. It isnt a cloud like an old caddy or Bentley, but it isnt supposed to be.

[ezmaass]

I agree with doggboy that keeping the factory width is probably a good idea, while doing what you can to lower unsprung weight.

The factory wheels are OK, but they're far from the best if you want light weight. I've also found them to be easily bent, especially with the OEM RFTs. If you swap out the RFTs for a good non-RFT, they're fine - still not great, but workable.

For a large GT, the ride should be much more supple than it comes from the factory, and the combo of wheels and tires are a huge part of the car's problem. I went to the Michelin A/S 3+ and kept the factory 18" M-Sport wheels. This combination has made the car feel great. It has all of the sporting character I'd expect from a car of this size/weight, but it now also has enough compliance in the tire to take on some bumpy city roads. It's not going to float over them like an old school land yacht with much larger sidewalls, but it's a good compromise. The adaptive drive with dynamic dampers and ARS adds another dimension of damping control and assistance with cornering, so the car does a great job now splitting duty between ride comfort where/when necessary and being pushed a little.

While I like the look of a slightly larger wheel, I'm LONG over the idea of daily driving a car with a very stiff suspension or ride, and that extends to the tires.

[TON-III]

You're right that the original size is something to keep up with ...... but are yours cars delivered with original size tires ? Quite many are crossing the bigger wheel options, for example new 840 is possible to get with 18" tires but many few riding with those, is the structure build to run with 18" tires ? Or with option 20" tires ?

[thebmw]

Didn't know that success came with 18" as factory standard. I run a 245 45 19 square setup in the winter and they absorb bumps quite well. That's the minimum width I would go with. The higher side while obviously adds a nice little cushion. The 19 inch rims still look quite nice and large enough for a car like this. I think 18s look small for a car like this.

[TON-III]

Originally Posted by thebmw

I run a 245 50 19 square setup in the winter and they absorb bumps quite well. I think 18s look small for a car like this.

Have you a mistake here ? As updated size in 19" the tire should be 245/ 40 , if you are running with 245/50 you are having 'huge' sidewall, it's definetely comfy and like the very std size regarding sidewall ( 245/50 has the same side wall height as 225/55 ).

Here is also a pic with mentioned winter set, the height is more disturbing that wheel size ? And pic is somehow 'strange', alloys are coming out from car.

[thebmw]

Originally Posted by TON-III

Have you a mistake here ?

Fixed it. It was supposed to be 45 sidewall, not 50.

[ezmaass]

Originally Posted by thebmw

Didn't know that success came with 18" as factory standard. I run a 245 45 19 square setup in the winter and they absorb bumps quite well. That's the minimum width I would go with. The higher side while obviously adds a nice little cushion. The 19 inch rims still look quite nice and large enough for a car like this. I think 18s look small for a car like this.

My mistake in my post - my M Sport is 19" standard. Same as yours - square setup with the xDrive.